Former Cong MLA Vishwajit Rane to join BJP on Thursday

Former Goa Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane, who defied the party whip to vote against the trust motion of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in March, would join BJP on Thursday, a party leader said. Rane, who was elected from Valpoi constituency, hadresigned from the Congress and quit his Assembly membershipafter absenting himself from the House when Parrikar soughtthe trust vote.

"Vishwajit Rane would be joining BJP tomorrow. He has not put any condition to join the party," BJP's state president Vinay Tendulkar told PTI. Rane is the son of Congress veteran and former Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane, who was also elected to the Assembly from Poriem seat in North Goa during the recent state polls.

Asked if Rane would be inducted into the state Cabinet, Tendulkar said, "It would be the decision of the Chief Minister." The BJP Goa legislature wing recently adopted a resolution seeking Rane's induction into the party and also in the Cabinet.

When contacted, Rane confirmed that he will be joining the BJP on Thursday. "My entry to the BJP is unconditional. I want to workfor the growth of the party and also for the development of my constituency," he said.

Rane quit the Congress in March after being upset that the party failed to form the government in Goa despite it emerging as the single largest party winning 17 seats in the 40-member Assembly.

In the trust vote held in the House, Parrikar proved his majority with 12 legislators from BJP, three from Goa Forward Party, three from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, three Independents and one from NCP voting in favour of the trust motion.

The opposition benches included 16 MLAs from Congress, as Rane had remained absent during the voting. After failing to defeat the trust motion, the Goa Congress said it would seek disqualification of Rane from contesting elections for defying its whip to vote against the motion.